Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Mahaprajnaparamitashastra', '27: Book of Daniel' and 'The Epistemology of Essence (draft)'

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6 ideas

10. Modality / D. Knowledge of Modality / 4. Conceivable as Possible / a. Conceivable as possible

16978	If conceivability is a priori coherence, that implies possibility [Tahko]
	Full Idea: Maybe conceivability could be understood as a priori coherence, which implies possibility.
	From: Tuomas E. Tahko (The Epistemology of Essence (draft) [2013], 3.2)
	A reaction: I'm not quite sure why 'a priori' has to be there. Assessing conceivability just is assessing coherence. That couches it as a rational activity, rather than as a purely imaginary one. Trying to conceive a square circle isn't just daydreaming.

14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / k. Explanations by essence

16975	Essences are used to explain natural kinds, modality, and causal powers [Tahko]
	Full Idea: Essences are supposed to do a lot of explanatory work: natural kinds can be identified in terms of their essences, metaphysical modality can be reduced to essence, the causal power of objects can be explained with the help of essence.
	From: Tuomas E. Tahko (The Epistemology of Essence (draft) [2013], 1)
	A reaction: Natural kinds and modality are OK with me, but I'm dubious about the third one. If an essence explains something's causal powers, I have no idea what an essence might be. Essence are largely characterised in terms of causal powers.

23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / a. Virtues

7903	The six perfections are giving, morality, patience, vigour, meditation, and wisdom [Nagarjuna]
	Full Idea: The six perfections are of giving, morality, patience, vigour, meditation, and wisdom.
	From: Nagarjuna (Mahaprajnaparamitashastra [c.120], 88)
	A reaction: What is 'morality', if giving is not part of it? I like patience and vigour being two of the virtues, which immediately implies an Aristotelian mean (which is always what is 'appropriate').

26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / a. Scientific essentialism

16976	Scientific essentialists tend to characterise essence in terms of modality (not vice versa) [Tahko]
	Full Idea: The conception of essence taken for granted in much of the 'scientific essentialist' literature is that essence can be explained in terms of modality (rather than the other way round).
	From: Tuomas E. Tahko (The Epistemology of Essence (draft) [2013], 2.1)
	A reaction: [He cites Ellis and Bird] That is, presumably, that they are inclined to say that the essence of gold is a set of necessary properties. Maybe conceptual necessities dictate the properties of gold, and they in turn dictate metaphysical necessities?

26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / b. Scientific necessity

16977	If essence is modal and laws are necessary, essentialist knowledge is found by scientists [Tahko]
	Full Idea: If essence is conceived in terms of modality and the laws of nature are metaphysically necessary, it seems that the laws of nature constitute essentialist knowledge, so the discovery of essences is mostly due to scientists.
	From: Tuomas E. Tahko (The Epistemology of Essence (draft) [2013], 2.1)
	A reaction: This seems muddled to me. The idea that the laws themselves are essences is way off target. No one thinks all knowledge of necessities is essentialist. Mumford, for example, doesn't even believe in laws.

29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / a. Immortality

7482	Resurrection developed in Judaism as a response to martyrdoms, in about 160 BCE [Anon (Dan), by Watson]
	Full Idea: The idea of resurrection in Judaism seems to have first developed around 160 BCE, during the time of religious martyrdom, and as a response to it (the martyrs were surely not dying forever?). It is first mentioned in the book of Daniel.
	From: report of Anon (Dan) (27: Book of Daniel [c.165 BCE], Ch.7) by Peter Watson - Ideas
	A reaction: Idea 7473 suggests that Zoroaster beat them to it by 800 years.